Pigs: Animal Welfare

(asked on 1st November 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the welfare implications of high concentration carbon dioxide stunning in the slaughter of pigs.


Answered by
Mark Spencer Portrait
Mark Spencer
This question was answered on 11th November 2022

We recognise the long-standing animal welfare concerns with high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs. HM Government has supported research into use of alternatives, including inert gas mixtures, and while these do reduce the welfare impacts, there are practical constraints to their use which have so far restricted commercial uptake.

HM Government has also part-funded research into Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) as a possible alternative stunning method for pigs. However, the results demonstrated that LAPS is associated with poor welfare in pigs and does not present a humane alternative to high concentration carbon dioxide stunning.

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